- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 21, 2026
Make Friends After 40 in Havering as the children grow up
Nearly 70% of Havering households own their home; once the children need you less, the borough’s adult college and weekend parkruns are good places to begin again.
39,200+
Havering people aged 40 to 49, from the ONS mid-year estimate for 2025
14%
share of the Havering population in its forties, level with London (ONS mid-2025 figures)
35%
of Havering households have paid off the mortgage, against 21% in London (Census 2021, ONS)
Havering evenings come back as children grow
When the children grow up and need fewer lifts, many Havering women in their 40s find an evening or a Saturday free again. Havering Adult College has a 2026 to 2027 course guide and a new Creative Centre in Upminster, Romford Library runs a midweek knitting group, and Harrow Lodge Park in Hornchurch has a parkrun every weekend. Gofrendly links Havering women to 40-something neighbours who have new free time too.
Havering after 40: your questions
What courses can you take at the Havering adult college?
Havering Adult College, based at Bower Park Centre on Havering Road in Romford, lists art, floristry, photography and graphic design in its 2026 to 2027 course guide. In 2026 it announced a new Creative Centre in Upminster, giving Havering learners a second base.
Is there a running or walking group for 40-somethings in Havering?
Havering has three Saturday parkruns: Harrow Lodge in Hornchurch, Ingrebourne Hill near Rainham and Raphael in Romford. All start at 9am, cost nothing and welcome walkers, so Havering women can take part without any running experience and build up gradually.
Does Havering have a knitting club?
Romford Library’s Knit and Natter meets on Wednesdays from 10am to noon, free and with no booking, and you bring your own materials. Upminster Library holds another knitting session on Wednesdays. Both are relaxed ways for Havering residents to make new acquaintances.
How do Havering women meet friends once the children are older?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets women in Havering see neighbours at the same stage, whose teenagers are also more independent, and send a message. A loop of the boating lake in Harrow Lodge Park is a simple first meeting.
Havering friendships for the next stage
Havering is London’s easternmost borough, taking in Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster, Rainham and the green belt beyond. Havering’s forties age group is about 14% of the population, matching London, and 35% of its households have cleared their mortgage, roughly 14 points above the capital. If you have lived in the same street for a long time, the friendships made through primary school can fade when your children move on to secondary school and beyond. If you want to make friends after 40 in Havering, a new routine of your own is the place to begin.
An emptier house can feel lonely after the busy school years. A craft course, a knitting group or a Saturday 5k gives you a place to go each week and a group who notice when you are missing. Havering has an adult college with art, photography and floristry, several parkruns and busy libraries. Places to start:
1
Havering Adult College at Bower Park Centre on Havering Road.
2
The college’s new Creative Centre in Upminster, announced in 2026.
3
Romford Library, where a free knitting group meets midweek.
4
Harrow Lodge parkrun, a one-lap 5k in Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch.
5
Ingrebourne Hill parkrun near Rainham, every Saturday morning.
LOCAL TIP
Browse the course guide and choose one class for the new term.
How to
Havering: meeting people once the school run ends
1
Enrol on an art, photography or floristry course at Havering Adult College.
2
Take your knitting to the weekly group at Romford Library.
3
Message other Havering women whose children are older on Gofrendly.
4
Run or walk Harrow Lodge parkrun and stay for coffee by the lake.
Reconnecting and new beginnings
Havering: our writers
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Havering page for women whose sons and daughters are older now and who want new friends for the years ahead.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.